Star comment: Praise for festival's organisers
Two years ago, the Ludlow Arts Festival appeared to be dead in the water. Its six decades of history had come to nothing.
It was out-dated, old-fashioned and unwanted. The former managers closed it down and for a while it seemed Ludlow's proud association with the arts had ended. Today, it is a different story.
A new management team has resurrected the festival and business is booming. The new-look event is set to break records and a performance by Ken Dodd has already sold out – a full month-and-a-half before curtain up.
The Ludlow Arts Festival was re-imagined by two men, West End stalwarts Chris Moreno and Chris Davis. They deserve great credit.
Last year, they staged an arts event that was welcomed by all-comers. There wasn't time to include Shakespeare on the bill then, but this year they have put The Bard at the heart of their event. It has been a complete success.
Ticket sales are up across the board with people spending £70,000 more than at the same stage last year. Around 8,000 tickets have been sold and there is plenty of time for the remaining 10,000 to be sold.
Ludlow and the rest of the county will be grateful to the festival's new owners. They have breathed new life into the much-loved event by creating a festival fit for the 21st century. The unworkable elements of the former event have been jettisoned and the new-look festival has embraced modernity.
Mr Davis and Mr Moreno have found a recipe for success. They are set fair for coming years.
The picture looks slightly more mixed for Osfest, one of Shropshire's biggest music festivals, which has been postponed until August.
OsFest celebrates the best of pop and has grown steadily since its inception in 2009. However, increased competition has forced a postponement.
OsFest had been due to take place on May Bank Holiday, but has been rescheduled for August. Organisers hope they will sell more tickets during the coming months.
The owners have been bold in making a big decision to reschedule their event.
Shropshire has a great many music festivals – V, Shrewsbury Fields Forever, Shrewsbury Folk Festival and many fringe events – and OsFest's dilemma illustrates the difficulty of managing such events.
